Chapter 37

"You're on in half an hour."

Harry, Liam, Niall, Zayn and I were in the arena dressing room, preparing ourselves to go on stage and do yet another show. It was the fifth one in six days, and by now, it felt like we were all doing it on autopilot, singing the songs we knew by heart and saying the same things to the audience.

But regardless, we always tried to make the best of it and have fun at the same time. We were known for being ourselves - it was what the fans loved about us, so we made sure to bring that to the stage instead of rehearsed dance moves that other artists did.

Harry was already finished, sitting on the couch with his phone in his hand, playing what looked like Candy Crush. His curls were getting pretty long these days, so he had tied them up in a blue bandana, making him look very attractive.

Just looking at him from the chair I was sitting on made my arms itch. I wanted to hold him and kiss him before the show, but if Lou wasn't finished with my hair soon, I doubted I would have time for it.

Niall was getting his makeup done in the armchair next to me, which he didn't seem to enjoy very much if the way he was scrunching his nose was anything to go by. "Ashley, I'm pretty sure I don't need more of this stuff on my face," he huffed, trying to bat her hand away unsuccessfully.

Ashely just rolled her eyes at Niall's comment. "You're never going to get used to it, are you?"

Niall only gave her a pout through the mirror in return.

Thankfully, Lou was finished with my hair only five minutes later, so I didn't waste any time getting up from my seat and walking over to the couch where Harry was still sitting, engaged in his iPhone. I stopped at his feet, looking down at him with a fond smile on my lips.

"Hi, gorgeous," I greeted, leaning down so that I was hovering over him, one hand on the backrest next to his head.

His eyes instantly snapped up to meet mine, a smile forming on his lips. "Hey, Lou," he replied, tilting his chin up so that our lips could meet in a sweet kiss.

At first, it wasn't meant to last longer than a few seconds, but as our mouths kept moving together, I could feel myself getting addicted to it. My hands found his neck, my thumbs pressing against the skin of his jawline as he brought me closer by gripping my waist, his phone long gone now.

By the time Harry swiped his tongue along my bottom lip, I was so far from real life that it caught me completely off guard when a pillow suddenly hit the side of my face. "Oi, that's enough, guys," Zayn complained, and as I broke the kiss, I could see him standing across the room, his nose scrunched up and his arms folded over his chest.

"It was just a kiss, Zayn. You've seen worse than that," I reminded him.

He scoffed, scrunching his nose even more. "And I sure as hell don't want a repeat nor be reminded of it. So get your filthy hands off each other and start getting ready for the show."

With that said, he left the room, leaving us with the people who were still here but weren't paying any attention to us whatsoever. I turned back to Harry, who had an evident smile playing on his lips, his eyes focusing on my features. "I'm pretty sure we still have five minutes," he grinned.

I chuckled as I dipped down to give him another kiss. He reached up to reciprocate it immediately, sliding his mouth against my own. "Hmm, I love kissing you," I hummed against his lips.

"Great," he mumbled in reply, pulling me closer by the grip on my hips so that I had no other choice but to sink down on his lap, my knees on either side of his body. "Because I love kissing you too."

And even though we knew Zayn could walk back in any second, we still closed the distance between us again, letting our lips slot together in yet another kiss.

Yes, we were that gone for each other.

-----

I wasn't sure how long I sat there on the floor until I eventually pulled myself up and exited the room, almost forgetting the room card I had placed on the bed in the process. It felt like my mind wasn't connected to my body. My muscles were moving on autopilot, doing things without my mind's consent. And as I made my way down the corridor to the elevator, I was pretty sure I almost bumped into someone, but I was too far gone to acknowledge it.

My head was spinning, still trying to process what had taken place just a couple of minutes ago. I had a hard time taking in the fact that we had kissed. It had been so long, more than three years, but everything was the same. The way his plump lips felt against mine, the way my heart picked up its pace, and the endorphins that erupted in my body. It might have been even better now, and I couldn't deny how happy it made me feel.

But still, I couldn't push away the feeling of what Harry felt about it. Even if he told me he had realized the part of him that wanted to get closer to me over-weighed the scared one, we had still agreed to take things slow, and kissing each other was not discussed in that plan even though it was a dream come true for me. I wasn't even sure if the 'jealousy incident' was enough for me to feel even a little bit relaxed about it.

Seeing as I was so caught up in my thoughts, I barely registered that I was now outside the hotel. Thankfully, the place was not surrounded by fans or journalists, so I could walk over to the sidewalk where the car was parked without any problem. The scary part was that it probably wouldn't have even crossed my mind that people could be waiting out here if it weren't for the guards surrounding the car since other things clearly occupied my mind.

I hesitated before opening the door, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip with a hand on the handle. The thing was, the cab windows were tinted, making it impossible for me to see the insides of the car, and the thought of opening the door and coming face to face with Harry was something I wasn't sure I could take right now.

It seemed like luck was on my side, though, because the door was opened from the inside the next second, Perrie's pissed face coming into view. "Louis, what the hell are you doing? We've been waiting for ages. Where have you been?"

Swallowing, I let my hand drop from where it was, feeling my face drain from its color. I wasn't sure if I was ready to see Harry's reaction yet, because if he regretted the whole thing, I wouldn't know what to do.

Perrie seemed to read my features seeing as the pissed look vanished from her face, sympathy taking over instead. A gentle smile formed on her lips, and for a second, I was almost sure she knew what had taken place just a few minutes ago. For some reason, it made me uncomfortable, chills making their way down my spine.

I slipped inside the vehicle without a word, sitting down next to her quietly, keeping my eyes on my lap.

The car started moving, the city passing by outside the window. I stayed still for a long time, but after collecting a lot of willpower, I looked up to glance over Perrie's body and saw that Harry was sitting next to her, which meant Nick was in the seat in front of me. I didn't dare look at him too long, though, so I didn't acknowledge any possible reaction.

As we kept driving towards the restaurant, I started feeling ridiculous about what I was doing. Why was I so scared? It was Harry we were talking about, the man I knew inside and out. Sure, we'd had a rough patch where it felt like I didn't know him anymore, but he had shown me more than once that he hadn't changed. He was still the same man I had fallen in love with all those years ago, so there was no need to be scared as long as we just talked about it. I could never hate him, and I had a feeling he couldn't hate me either. We just had to work this out just like we always did when things happened in the past.

Still, there was this nagging feeling that he might regret kissing me, and it wouldn't leave my mind for the entire ride. I just didn't know what to do if it turned out it was too much for him, that we were heading into a path he didn't want us to take.

Once we arrived at the restaurant, we all got out of the car to head inside. So far, no one had caught up with where we were headed this evening, so we could enter the place without any problem. Nick and Harry walked ahead of me and Perrie, and I could feel her glancing at me at least three times in only a minute. I knew she wanted to know the reason for my reaction earlier, but I couldn't tell her now even if she wanted me to.

As if things weren't already bad enough, we were met by the restaurant's owner, Anthony, at the entrance. He instantly recognized us, his dark eyebrows shooting up as his lips curled in a smile. "Harry and Louis! I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been? Jesus, you've grown so much," he rambled, catching me off guard.

I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out, and it seemed like Harry was struggling with the same thing seeing as he stayed silent as well. "We've been... alright," I managed to say at last. "It's been a while, indeed. It's nice to see you too, Anthony."

He lit up at the mention of his name, probably happy that I remembered it. "And you've got company with you tonight," he continued, flicking his gaze between Perrie and Nick. "What an honor."

Harry seemed to snap back to reality then, straightening his body. "It's lovely to meet you, Anthony. You don't have a table for us, do you?" He asked, and since I still hadn't dared to look at his face, I didn't know what he was expressing to the man.

"Of course," the older man replied, seeming pleased. "There's always a table for my favorite guests." He looked between me and Harry, his smile growing bigger. "Follow me."

He showed us to a secluded table in the back, pretty close to the kitchen. It was perfect, seeing as the restaurant was slowly filling with people and no one could see us from it. I was pretty sure they wouldn't even notice us sitting here. "Thank you, mate," I told Anthony as we sat down. "This is perfect."

"Anytime," he replied. "I'll be here with the menus in a second."

With that said, he left us, and when I looked up, I could see both Perrie and Nick looking between me and Harry expectantly. "Alright, I knew you guys had been here before, but you never mentioned anything about being buddies with the staff. How many times exactly have you been here?" Perrie asked where she was sitting next to me.

Still keeping my gaze away from Harry, who was sitting opposite me diagonally, I fiddled with my fingers. "A few times," I said hesitantly. "They make delicious food."

Nick let out a snort. "They must certainly do."

I cleared my throat, looking up to send him a sharp look.

He ignored me while Perrie let out an exasperated sigh. "What I was saying is that I find it nice that you get along with them so well. I wish I had buddies like that at a restaurant in another place than London too," she said, a small smile gracing her lips.

We didn't have time to say anything else until Anthony returned with the menus, and unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing he was holding in his hands. My heart stopped beating in my chest at the sight, my throat closing up. "Would you look at this, guys?" He smiled proudly, holding up the picture of me and Harry as teenagers.

"This was when Harry and Louis visited this restaurant for the third time in two weeks back in 2011," Anthony continued, showing Perrie and Nick the picture while I could feel my face heat up. If I didn't dare glance at Harry before, I certainly didn't now.

Perrie lit up at the sight, her lips curling. "You look so cute," she gushed, flicking her gaze between me and Harry. "And you said you had only been here a few times when you visited the place three times in two weeks?"

I didn't reply to her, feeling too embarrassed as it was, and Harry stayed silent as well, no sound escaping his lips at all. "Please, miss," Anthony chuckled. "They've been here more times than I can count on my fingers, but it's been a few years now. How come?"

I was sure this situation couldn't get any worse, but it seemed like I was wrong. "Um..." I started, but I had no idea how to explain to him that Harry and I hadn't spent time together the past few years without him asking us any following questions and making the situation even worse if that was possible.

"Louis and I have been pretty busy lately, so we haven't had time to visit Manchester," Harry finished, taking me by surprise. "Sorry about that, Anthony."

The older man waved a hand in dismissal, not seeming to mind at all. "Don't worry about it, Harry. You're here now, and I know you guys have a busy life, what with you being famous. I've just missed seeing you here, is all."

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and managed to put a smile on my face. "We've missed you too," I said, giving him a look of the best sincerity I could manage.

He returned the smile before motioning towards the menus he had handed us. "Alright, I'm going to let you decide what to eat now. I'll be back shortly to take your orders," he promised before leaving with the picture.

I could feel the muscles relax in my body, my shoulders sagging as I watched his retreating body. This situation would have been so much less complicated if things weren't unstable between me and Harry right now. If it had been yesterday or a couple of hours ago, things would have been completely fine. We would have joked it off instead of making it so damn awkward as it was now.

"Talk about awkward," Nick chuckled under his breath. "He has no idea you broke up."

What happened to the Nick who had taken a step back? The one who Harry had told to back off? Because the only Nick I was seeing right now was the same man who had been bugging me for months. "He doesn't even know we were together," I seethed before I could stop myself.

It wasn't until it had escaped my mouth that I realized what I said, and I instantly regretted it. It wasn't necessary, especially when Harry was sitting right next to him, but at the same time, I didn't feel like apologizing either.

"Nick," Perrie frowned, looking at him.

I decided to break my refusal of looking at Harry then, my eyes drifting to where he was sitting next to Nick. I didn't exactly know what I was expecting to see, but when I noticed that he wasn't wearing his sunglasses, it made an unknown knot untie itself in my stomach. Overall, he looked kind of neutral, apart from the fact that he was being more quiet than usual, and a crease was etched into the skin between his brows. Other than that, he still seemed like the same Harry who had entered my room earlier.

Feeling slightly relieved, I relaxed in my seat, letting myself exhale a deep puff of air. I didn't even know I had been so tense until then, but it felt amazing to finally let out a breath that didn't get stuck in my throat.

Not too long after that, Anthony came back to take our orders. He then left just as quickly again, the smile remaining on his lips the entire time. He was so happy, and I couldn't help but feel bad about how I greeted him earlier, all tense and uptight. I hoped I could make up for it.

As we waited for the food to arrive, we talked about the show and what we had to do when we got back tomorrow. It was honestly a bit depressing to talk about going back home, but we were leaving early, and we had to get ready for what was to come.

I quickly noticed that Harry stayed quiet most of the time, not even interposing at places he usually did. It made the knot return to my stomach slowly but surely, and I wondered if I had spoken too soon earlier.

When the food arrived, I decided to cast him another glance, feeling the need to know what he was thinking and hoping I could read his features. He was still frowning, his brows pinched together with a look saying he was thinking deeply about something. I was pretty sure what that something was. I just hoped it wasn't bad, but judging from the way the crease only seemed to deepen between his brows, I wasn't so sure about it.

As if on cue, Harry's eyes turned to meet mine right then, his green irises boring into mine. The look I received made my breath hitch in my throat, goosebumps rising on my skin. He then looked away just as quickly, leaving me with a larger knot in my stomach than before.

I had definitely spoken too soon.

Suddenly feeling sick, I started picking at the food in front of me with my fork. The food was delicious, though, just like it always was, so even if I felt as though the food was going to come back up again once I had swallowed it, I managed to eat most of what was on my plate.

Nick seemed to be in a lot better mood than this morning, talking enthusiastically with a smile on his face. He kept shooting Harry worried glances, though, since the curly-haired man remained silent. Perrie was the one who kept the conversation going with Nick, seeming pretty happy as well, although she kept glancing at me. It must have looked pretty ridiculous in other people's eyes.

"Can you guys believe we're almost halfway through the live shows? In only a couple of weeks, this is going to be over," Perrie commented, making me snap my head to her.

The thought about this journey ending hadn't crossed my mind, not once. Sure, we still had a few weeks to go, but we had been doing this for almost six months now. A couple of weeks were nothing compared to that.

The realization made my stomach clench even more. I didn't want it to end. It was starting to feel natural doing the show, and I didn't want to even think about going back to living the monotonous life in my empty house without doing anything other than going out with my friends sometimes. I thought it made me happy before, but now I knew just how unhappy I had been at the time.

What bothered me the most was that I had no idea what would happen to me and Harry if things continued like this, if there was no reason for us to keep seeing each other every day. Just the thought of us drifting apart made my heart ache, leaving an unsettling feeling in my heart. It couldn't happen.

Pursing my lips, I looked down at the surface of the table, hearing Nick reply to her, "It's sick when you think about it like that. It feels like we've only been doing this for a maximum of a month, but we're more than halfway through it. I'm going to miss doing it once it's over."

"Me too," Perrie agreed. "It's going to feel weird going back to normal."

Right then, I could feel Harry looking at me from across the table, and I didn't hesitate to meet his gaze. He wasn't scowling as intensely as before, but the thoughtful look was still there, gracing his features. His eyes traveled down until they settled on my plate, and they stayed there for a long time.

When he eventually looked away, I didn't know how to feel, but I wasn't feeling as sick anymore. If anything, I just wanted to know what he was thinking. I wanted to get at least a glimpse of what was going on inside that head of his because even though it was much easier to read his features now, I couldn't read his thoughts.

Once we had finished eating and paid for our food, we left the restaurant, but not before saying goodbye to Anthony. I gave him a hug, trying to make up for my behavior earlier, and judging from the way his eyes lit up when I took a step back, I was pretty sure he appreciated it. "Make sure to come back here soon," he said after giving Harry a quick hug as well.

Even though I couldn't promise him he would see me and Harry here together again, I nodded my head with a smile on my face. "Of course, Anthony."

Just like yesterday, fans and journalists seemed to have had enough time to pick up on where we were now, so the place was surrounded by people when we headed outside. Thankfully, the guards were already there, helping us through the crowd and into the cab we had come here in.

Once all doors were shut behind us, I could hear Nick let out a sigh of relief in the front seat. "Still not used to this, probably never going to be. I'll leave this to you guys once the show is over. I don't want it."

I rolled my eyes while Harry and Perrie scoffed. "I think a lot of celebrities would love to do the same thing," Perrie replied. "It's not like we're asking for it."

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm not jealous."

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, apart from the radio playing through the speakers. Nick kept singing along to the music while Harry, Perrie and I minded our own business, which consisted of looking out the window and using our phones. The ride didn't last too long, though, so we were soon back inside the hotel, making our way inside the hotel.

Nick made sure to wrap an arm around Harry's shoulders as we started walking towards the elevator, pulling him away from me and Perrie. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but judging by the look Nick gave me, I could only assume it was about me.

It was almost hard to believe that the tables were completely turned only this morning. They had been the ones ignoring each other then, and now Harry and I were. The only difference was that Nick would never even think of encouraging Harry to talk to me.

"You're staring," Perrie whispered into my ear, making me snap my head to her.

She was giving me a small smile, almost as if she was afraid to say the wrong thing. "I can't help it," I muttered in return but didn't look back at the two men who were changing directions and heading towards the bar instead of the elevator.

"What happened?" She asked, curiosity lacing her voice now.

I shrugged, averting my gaze from her. "Nothing."

Seeing her raise her eyebrows at me through the corner of my eye, I let out a sigh. "I just don't want to talk about it. Maybe later, but I kinda just want to be alone right now."

She nodded in understanding, probably realizing it was more severe than she first thought. "I hope things will work out for you, though," she smiled, and I couldn't help but crack my lips into one myself.

"Me too."

When we were about to go inside the elevator, I decided to turn around one last time just to check. Nothing else. Just to check. To my surprise, Harry wasn't with Nick anymore, but he was now heading towards the elevator while Nick was still sitting at the bar, his head a little bowed.

Harry left him.

A weird feeling erupted in my stomach, and for some reason, I couldn't help but smile to myself as the elevator started going upwards. Maybe he needed some time alone as well.

Perrie and I separated once we were at our doors, entering our rooms after saying goodnight to each other. As mentioned before, we were leaving pretty early tomorrow morning, so having an early night was something I wouldn't say no to.

My eyes fell on the ripped sweatshirt that was still lying in the same place on the floor as where I tossed it last night. I would have to take care of it tomorrow before leaving.

Telling myself this, I collapsed on top of the unmade bed, realizing it was only a couple of hours ago I was lying here with Harry's head on top of my chest and his limbs wrapped around my body. It was surreal how many things had happened in such a short amount of time. Everything was fine this morning. He had even smiled at me the first thing he did when he woke up, and then he moved closer to see my phone screen when I ordered the tickets for the game.

Everything was fine - great even - up until the moment he entered my room and kissed me.

But as I turned my gaze to the door, where it all took place, I couldn't help but let my lips curl in a smile. Even if things were pretty uncertain between us now, there were no regrets on my side. I could never regret kissing him, especially not when it felt so completely right.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely registered the footsteps on the other side of the door, but they were there, and I had a feeling they belonged to the curly-haired man I couldn't seem to stop thinking about. When they came to a halt right outside my door, I could feel my heart stop beating in my chest.

But right when I thought he was about to knock, the footsteps continued down the corridor. He then entered his room, the sound of his door clicking shut impossible to miss. I could hear him padding inside, making a feeling of déjà vu hit me. It was exactly like on the audition tour, when I had heard everything he was doing on the other side of the wall.

Just like then, he was pacing the room now as well, and I could almost see him running his hands over his face. It was so frustrating, knowing exactly what was going on - that he was most likely thinking about what happened earlier but not knowing what to feel - without being able to do anything about it.

The footsteps soon died out, and the only thing I could hear was the ventilation system in my room. It made me toss my head back against my pillow. It seemed like I wasn't going to find out what he was thinking anytime soon.

I turned on the flatscreen to get on other thoughts, trying to find something decent to watch. Unfortunately, no football games were being streamed tonight, at least not on the available channels at this hotel, so I settled with an episode of Friends. Harry had made me watch the show at least three times back in the days since it was his favorite, and sure, it wasn't exactly bad, but there were better shows out there. I couldn't deny that it was a good distraction now, though.

As I watched the episode, my mind drifted away while my eyelids got heavy. It felt like I was balancing somewhere between slumber and awareness when there was suddenly a knock on the door. The timing couldn't be worse.

Groaning, I got up from the bed, padding over to the door sleepily. I placed my hand on the handle and turned it, pulling it open just a little to get a glimpse of who was outside. My eyes widened at the sight of Harry, his curls pointing in different directions and his eyes blown. Maybe it shouldn't surprise me that it was him, but his appearance certainly did.

"Wha-?"

I cut myself off when he took a step forward, opening the door further to get inside, his hands instantly finding the side of my neck, tilting my face up to make our eyes meet. Before I could even register what was happening, he closed the gap between us, pressing his soft lips against mine in a firing kiss.

It caught me so off guard that I stumbled backward, my back hitting the wall next to the door. He followed after, though, not letting our lips disconnect even for a second. My head was spinning with so many thoughts that I could feel myself getting dizzy. Or, it was by the way his mouth was moving against mine, so desperately, as if he was about to die and this was the last kiss he would ever experience.

One of his hands traveled down the back of my neck, down my spine until it settled on my lower back, just above the curve of my bum. He pressed our bodies closer together, our chest flush as he kept pressing desperate kisses to my lips. But it wasn't until he bit down on my bottom lip and a gasp escaped my lips that I snapped back to reality, realizing what was going on.

"Harry, wait," I interrupted, placing my hands on his shoulders to push him away gently, and he went without any resistance. "What are we doing?"

I could see his features changing, going from completely determined to more unsure every second. His puffy lips parted as he looked into my eyes, blinking. And just like that, he fell forward, crashing right into my chest, burrowing his face into my neck. In order to keep us both upright, I wrapped my arms around his body, rubbing my hands up and down his back as he let out a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled hoarsely. "I'm so sorry, I..."

I shook my head, feeling myself get emotional. "No, don't apologize," I reassured him, biting my lip to hold back the tears.

He pulled back to look at my face, his eyes filled with sadness and regret. "I shouldn't have... I just... I couldn't..." He trailed off, his eyebrows pulling together.

Taking his face in my hands so that he had no other choice but to keep his head turned to me, I stared into his eyes. "Harry, please. Look at me," I told him as he tried to avert his gaze.

When he realized there was no use to keep trying since I was cradling his face in my hands, he stopped fighting, his green irises finding mine. "I want this so much, okay? You have no idea how long I've wanted to kiss you, but there are so many things we need to talk about before this can happen. I don't... Are you even sure this is what you want?" I asked him, pain filling my eyes. Only a couple of weeks ago, he had told me that he was scared of getting too close to me after all.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, tears threatening to spill. "I just... I can't stop thinking about how much I want to kiss you. I've been thinking about it since this morning when I woke up with my face against your chest. And then we did kiss, and I couldn't stop thinking about it during the entire time we were at the restaurant. I know my thoughts are messed up, and yes, I was questioning what we did, but fuck, I just... I just want to be close to you. I've missed you so fucking much." His voice cracked at the end, and I couldn't stop the tear that rolled down my cheek.

Smiling through the tears in my eyes, I took the stray curl that was hanging in front of his eyes between my fingers, tucking it behind his ear. "I've missed you too, Harry. God, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

His lips curled into a faint smile as a tear rolled down his cheek as well. "You're right, though. We need to talk. There are a lot of things that need to be discussed. But I'm too tired for that right now... tomorrow?" He asked, his eyes searching my face.

"Of course," I promised, my lips curling as I caressed his cheeks with my thumbs, feeling his light stubble on my fingertips.

Without even asking this time, Harry took a step back and walked over to my bed, lying down after stripping to his boxers as if it wasn't a big deal at all. I swallowed at the sight but didn't hesitate as I did the same and got under the covers next to him. "I missed this pillow," he mumbled almost incomprehensibly, fiddling with the corner of my baby blue one.

A tired smile formed on my lips as memories of us sharing it back in the days flashed through my mind. "I wouldn't expect anything else. I told you it's a keeper, didn't I?"

He chuckled lightly, his dimple popping where he was lying, facing me with his cheek pressed against the hotel pillow. "I didn't think you would keep it, though, since you know... it holds a lot of memories. So it surprised me when I saw you with it when we were going on the audition tour."

I turned to face him properly, tucking my arm under my head. "I would never get rid of it," I told him honestly. "It didn't even cross my mind when I thought I didn't want anything to do with you."

His smile faltered a little at my words, but it remained on his lips. "I'm glad you didn't," he said, scooting a bit closer so that his head was in between our pillows. "Because it brings a smile to my face every time I see it."

I could feel a tug in my heart as I looked at him, searching his features. He meant it. It was obvious by the way he held my gaze and didn't look away. My lips curled in a smile, and I suddenly felt this urge to wrap my arms around him, hold him close and never let go. His sincerity just meant so much to me.

As if reading my mind, he scooted even closer, putting his head on my chest and wrapping his arm around my torso. I could feel every muscle in my body relax, going completely languid at the feeling of him against me. He let out a soft sigh as I buried a hand in his hair, tugging at a few curls gently.

"I've missed this as well," he mumbled against my bare chest, his voice getting sleepier by the second.

I wrapped my other arm around his body, not feeling quite as hesitant about touching him today as yesterday. "Me too, H," I replied, leaning down to press a kiss to his hair.

Just when I thought he had fallen asleep, he opened his mouth again, "Will you sing me to sleep just like you did last night?" He pleaded, making my body freeze for a couple of seconds.

"Of course. Anything for you."

And so I did, letting the familiar lyrics fill the silent room just like the night before. Only this time, things felt even better.

-----

This is officially the longest story I've written, and it's not even finished yet! Jesus. But I hope you liked the chapter!

I forgot to tell you in the last author's note that there will be smut (not yet for a little while), but those of you who follow me on Twitter probably already saw that haha.

I'm so excited to see Louis' festival and documentary tonight! Will you be watching it too?

And Harry's U.S tour starts tonight as well. So much Larry going on right now! Really exciting!

And what? An ABBA reunion? Never thought it would happen! So amazing to see!

Thank you for reading, guys. I'll hopefully see you all again in the next chapter x

Edited by: butterflies151

Pauline .xx